Lebanon Valley’s Novak sets record

Vassey also got in record books, tying LVC’s assists mark

ANNVILLE, Pa. -- Jocelyn Novak needed three goals against Widener to become the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division III history. So she scored four.

Novak set the new standard for goals in NCAA Division III field hockey, scoring two goals 40 seconds apart in the first half to tie and then break the record of 131 and lead No. 19 Lebanon Valley in an 8-2 rout of Widener on Senior Day.

The win clinched a playoff berth for the Dutchmen (13-4, 4-1 CC), who outshot the Pride (7-7, 2-3 CC) 23-10 and led 4-0 after 18 minutes of play, with three of those goals coming from Novak. She surpassed Lynchburg's Allie Weir, who scored 131 goals between 2006 and 2009, as Division III's all-time goals leader. She became LVC's career leader in goals and points last season, as a junior, and this year became the Commonwealth Conference's goals leader. One mark remains, the national record for points, which is held by Weir and Messiah's Danae Chambers at 297; Novak has 282.

Novak wasn't the only one setting records in the game - junior Caitlin Vasey tied former teammate Shelly Lobach's LVC career mark of 45 career assists with her second helper of the game on Novak's fourth score.

LVC's four seniors all had big games, with Jenni Walker scoring two goals and Jess Cox adding a goal and two assists to Novak's four scores, and goalkeeper Christine Poletti making six saves. Lebanon Valley's penalty corner unit had another big game, generating five of eight goals.

Widener had the game's first chance, but Novak got the first goal when she redirected a superb Mandi Albright run three minutes into the game. Walker scored on a hard shot from the left side, assisted by Vasey at 7:40, and Novak scored the 131st of her career at 16:55, tipping Jess Cox's shot from the arc on a corner.

It took a mere 40 seconds for Novak to take solo possession of the record as she picked a loose ball off the goalkeeper's pads at 17:35 to make the record breaking score.

Widener's Katie Ferguson potted an unassisted sweep at 18:50 to ruin the shutout, but Cox scored off Cate Cusack's assist to close the first half and give LVC a 5-1 advantage.

Ferguson scored again to open the second half, but LVC ended on a 3-0 run as Cox found Walker at 43:28, Vasey put back a Cox rebound at 46:43, and Novak redirected Vasey's push forward for her fourth at 54:05.

LVC led 23-10 on shots and 10-6 on corners. Poletti stopped six to earn the win, and Chloe Baro did not face a shot in 9:15 of relief. Maggie Karmeris (five saves) and Jessica Sochocky (four saves) split time, with Karmeris taking the loss.